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THE GENIAL SULTAN 

AND 

OTHER STORIES 


Harriet Maxon Thayer 




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‘‘Sklim, the Sultan of Dar, renowned for his good 

NATUEE, HAD SET HIS HEART ON A FISHING TRIP” 

























































The Genial Sultan 

The Princess Who Could Not See 
Late for the Coronation 

By Harriet Moxqti Thayer 

M 




Publishers DOR RANCH Philadelphia 


Copyright 1933 
Dorrojioo A Company lac 



Manufa«tura<l in tbo Unitod $tato« of Amarioa 


MAR 19’23 

©C1AG96830 


To 

My Mother 


CONTENTS 


The Genial Sultan. 13 

The Princess Who Could Not See. ... 25 

Late for the Coronation. 49 





ILLUSTRATIONS 


‘Selim, the Sultan of Dar, renowned for 
his good nature, had set his heart on 

a fishing trip/^ . Frontispiece 

‘The Princess Gloriana, called for her 
beauty the Morning Star, was blind.26 

‘Her heart full of joy, the little Princess 
came at last to her Coronation.’^_50 












THE GENIAL SULTAN 


/ 


THE GENIAL SULTAN 


A sultan should be genial, you’ll admit, 
even if he is nothing else. But, because 
so few sultans are, Selim, the Sultan of 
Bar, renowned for his good nature, was 
much beloved not only among his own 
subjects, but among those of nearby lands, 
all of whom wanted to live in his kingdom. 

In fact they crowded in so thickly that 
Selim had to think and think of ways to 
get someone else to help take care of them. 
The truth of the matter was that he want¬ 
ed a vacation. For he was, as you can 
imagine, a very busy as well as a very gen¬ 
ial sultan. But, although he had set his 
heart on a fishing trip, it was impossible 
to find anyone who could take his place 
even for a week; no one else was able to 
be, at one and the same time, Decider of 



U THE GENIAL SULTAN 

Quarrels, * Commander in Chief of the 
Army, Head Writer of the Laws, and also 
Champion Ball-Player of the nation. 

His was indeed a difficult place to fill. 
Long and long the sultan puzzled over the 
matter while many new wrinkles went 
crinkling over his forehead and about his 
eyes as he pondered. Where wus he to find 
a man to take his placeThe Sultan 
thought of everyone, from Matzar, the 
Adviser in Chief, whose business it \vas to 
give unnecessary advice, and Piff, the 
Head Jailer, who was out of a job most of 
the time because the Sultan always par¬ 
doned all prisoners two or three hours 
after he had imprisoned them, to Casia, 
the youngest of his thirty-one wives, who 
wnuld have made a very good ruler if she 
could only have kept herself from poking 
her nose into other people’s affairs. It 
wus a trait the Sultan very much disliked. 
But she got along very w^ell with all the 
other wives because there was nothing 
that went on inside or outside the minds 


THE GENIAL SULTAN 


15 


of others that she could not tell them. She 
had even come to the point of informing 
the Sultan of thoughts that he was going 
to think the day after tomorrow, which 
was, you will agree, too much. 

To go away was not as simple as it 
would at first appear. The Sultan called a 
meeting. Of course Matzar, the Chief 
Ad^dser, Piff, the Head Jailer, Peran, the 
First Wife, and Casia, the Beautiful, were 
there. When the Sultan asked his ques¬ 
tions they all fell to talking and planning 
so hard that they had little time to think 
of ways and means to help him. 

At last Selim, pulling at the corners of 
his fierce black moustache, cried aloud: 

^^But all this does not help me to go 
fishing!’’ 

‘Hf you will not take my advice-” 

began Matzar. 

‘‘And when, Matzar,” demanded the 
Sultan, “has your advice been taken? 
Your office is to give advice which no one 
ever follows. You have been very good— 


16 


THE GENIAL SULTAN 




I could ask no better counsellor. But that 
does not help me to go fishipg!^’ 

You are thinking/^ put in Casia sweet¬ 
ly, ‘ ^ of how lovely it would be if you could 
just go away without a word and never 
come back.’^ 

At that the Sultan glared at her while 
the ends of his black moustache waved in 
the air. 

had not thought of it yet,” he cried 
curtly. ‘‘I was about to think of it the 
day after tomorrow.” 

‘^He might think of it, my dear,” said 
Peran, the First Wife, ^‘but he would 
never do so. He is far too busy. Last 
week he sent one hundred and three men 
to prison for theft, laziness and curiosity! 
He is a very busy man.” 

^‘Ahl” wailed Piff, the Head Jailer, 
^^you do not know! That same week he 
pardoned one hundred and four of them 
and my jail is as empty as ever! Oh, for 
the old days when his father, Trebizond, 
the Terrible, ruled! There was no over- 


THE GENIAL SULTAN 


17 


crowding in the country then. Only the 
prisons were crowded—and those who es¬ 
caped fled at once to other lands. Notv 
they cannot come back quickly enough. 
But the rooms in my jail are all going to 
waste because of Your Majesty’s regret¬ 
table good nature. If Your Majesty would 
not pardon all of them’ there would be 
plenty of room in the city for the rest of 
iis.” 

‘^Yes,” agreed Peran, ‘‘he is hopelessly 
genial.” 

“There is much in what you say,” re¬ 
plied the Sultan. “But all this does not 
help me to go fishing.” 

“He was always one to stick to a point,” 
went on Peran, a remark which almost 
made the Sultan angry. 

“I have an idea!” he exclaimed finally, 
pleased with himself to have thought of 
it before Casia could guess it. 

“What?” they demanded in one breath. 

“I shall have a medal struck off,” said 
the Sultan. “There shall be but one like 



18 


THE GENIAL SULTAN 


it in all the land. It shall be wrought of 
ivory and inlaid with rubies—and he who 
wins it shall rule in my place for a week.’’ 

‘‘But what must he do to win it?” asked 
Matzar. 

“That, is my secret,” answered Selim, 
looking very hard at Casia whom he fear¬ 
ed had already guessed it. 

“Could a woman win it?” demanded 
Peran. 

“That she might,” said Selim, who had 
no objection to women voting, thinking 
or even talking—he was so genial. 

“But how?” gasped Peran and Casia 
together. 

■ For answer the Sultan only put his 
finger to his lips and smiled mysteriously. 

The next morning forty craftsmen went 
to work for forty days on the ivory medal, 
carving it, hunting for precious stones to 
adorn it, and polishing them until they 
shone like starlight over moimtain tor¬ 
rents. Then, when it was finished, the 
Sultan sent forth a herald who carried it 


THE GENIAL SULTAN 


19 


aloft, swung on a golden chain, and pro¬ 
claimed to all the people that he who won 
it should rule for a week in the Sultan’s 
palace. 

Much clamor and talk arose throughout 
the length and breadth of the land. The 
news flew from mouth to mouth. Crowds 
gathered in the already over-crowded 
streets. But when, one day, the Sultan 
appeared dressed as a hermit in rough, 
gray robes and walking barefooted, ex¬ 
citement and curiosity knew no bounds. 
All stopped to look and gape, pressing so 
close to him that only a veiy narrow path¬ 
way was left for the Sultan amid the jost¬ 
ling shoulders. 

‘‘Your Majesty,” advised Matzar, who 
was shocked at this behavior, “I should 
like to suggest that you put on your royal 
robes again instead of these ridiculous 
rags. What are you doing in the streets 
without your proper clothing?” 

“Merely trying to do my morning shop¬ 
ping,” replied the Sultan calmly, “if these 


20 


THE GENIAL SULTAN 


people would only let me pass. I am bad¬ 
ly in need of some new fish-hooks-’’ 

‘^Your Majesty’s jokes,” interrupted 

Matzar, ^‘are not-” 

But his words were cut short by a loud 
cheer; and, as he looked, he saw that the 
Sultan had shed his gray hermit’s robe 
and now appeared as a fighter, armed only 
with a short dagger. The people then 
thought that they understood and, nod¬ 
ding wisely, many of them ran home and 
returned similarly clad. But, although 
the Sultan fought with many he encoun¬ 
tered, bearing defeat from some (while 
others he vanquished), no one was award¬ 
ed the ivory medal, not even Matzar, who 
had disaiined the Sultan three times. 

‘‘Why do I not then win the medal 
he demanded of the Sultan. 

But the Sultan only threw back his 
head and laughed. 

“ It is not a medal for fighters, ’ ’ he re¬ 
plied. “Is it not enough that you have 
defeated your ruler?” 


THE GENIAL SULTAN 


21 


But, although the Sultan laughed much, 
he was still sad at heart. He thought of 
all the fishes slipping away forever down 
the flashing streams to the sea, and sighed. 

Three days went by and on the fourth 
the Sultan issued from his palace clad in 
the bright orange garments of a street 
merchant. On his head he balanced, some¬ 
what awkwardly, a tray on which were 
silver images, jewelled bracelets and 
strings of pearls. There was no one who 
did not stop his work to watch the Sultan 
pass. No one thought of anything else that 
day. SItill the medal remained hidden in 
the Sultan’s scarlet girdle; and although 
he joked mth those who bought his wares, 
a longer wrinkle than ever crept toward 
the corners of his mouth. He walked on, 
balancing the heavy tray on his head, un¬ 
til he had come to the outskirts of the city. 
There again Matzar addressed him. 

this a joke?” he demanded huffily, 
^^this medal and this fishing trip'? If so, 
I advise you to give it up.” 


22 


THE GENIAL SULTAN 


“Be careful, Matzar,’’ warned the Sul¬ 
tan. “Someday you will give advice that 
I can follow and then you will lose your 
job.’’ 

Just then the Sultan stopped short and 
he was so surprised at what he saw that 
he very nearly tipped over the precious 
tray and all that it contained. 

“Look!” exclaimed Selim. 

There, seated on a high chair before her 
shop, stringing jade beads upon a scarlet 
thread, sat a young slave girl, her bronze 
arms flashing in the sunlight with each 
motion of her slender body. Her profile 
was fine as the line of the cloud that had 
drifted across the sky. Her clear green 
eyes followed each turn of her needle so 
intently that she never glanced at Selim 
and Matzar as they paused before her. 
When she did look up, however, Selim 
knew that she recognized him—for who 
in all the land knew not the Genial Sul¬ 
tan—but, unlike the mob, she gave no sign 
of surprise. 


THE GENIAL SULTAN 


23 


“Wouldst buv 01 ’ sell?” slie asked. 

ft/ 

would buy your string of green 
beads,” the Sultan answered, green like 
the forests where I am so soon to go.” 

‘^YkDur Majesty does not know that he 
-” began Matzar. 

But the Sultan did not let him finish. 
He addressed the girl again. 

^^Do you know me?” 

You are Selim,” replied the slave girl, 
‘^Sultan of Bar.” ^ 

^^And do you not think it strange that 
1 lay aside my royal robes to walk the 
streets as a common merchant?” 

Then the slave girl made a reply that 
caused all the crowd to gasp. 

“1 ply my trade and you ply yours,” 
she said, while her silver needle again 
fiashed in the air, ^‘nor have I time to sit 
and stare.” 

^^Well, of all-!” Matzar started to 

speak, but once more the Sultan stopped 
him. 


24 


THE GENIAE SULTAJST 


‘^What do you want for your string of 
jade?’’ he asked. 

‘‘What will you give me for it?” re¬ 
plied the slave girl. 

For answer the Sultan slipped his hand 
into his orange robe and drew forth the 
ivory medal that it had taken forty days 
to fashion, and threw it about her neck. 

“She only,” he said, “who can tend her 
own affairs in peace and let me tend mine, 
can rule my people wisely.” 

So the slave girl, amid the rejoicings 
of the multitude, was crowned Thirty- 
Second Sultana of the land. 

“We will turn the jail into a hotel,” 
she said on her Coronation Hay, “for 
with the Genial Sultan as ruler, it is a 
complete waste as a jail. It is so big that 
there will be plenty of room for all.” 

The Sultan, hearing, knew that he had 
chosen well and, slipping his rods over 
his shoulder and his pail over his arm, he 
crept quietly out of the back door of the 
palace and went fishing. 


THE PRINCESS WHO 
COULD NOT SEE 



^‘The Princess Gloriana, called for her beauty the 
Morning Star^ was blind” 






































































The Princess Who Could Not 

See 


Away to the south, in the country where 
all the dead flowers go to grow again in 
winter time, an aged king reigned with his 
daughter over an outlying island, set like 
a green bouquet amid the tossing blue of 
the waves. Happy were the people over 
whom he ruled and King Hesperon might 
well have been happy, too, had it not been 
that, one great sorrow brought trouble to 
his heart and soon silvered the hair be¬ 
neath his gem-set crown. For the Princ¬ 
ess Gloriana, called for her beauty the 
Morning Star, was blind. No vision had 
ever come to the deep eyes, blue as the 
larkspur that bent in the winds as they 
raced through her father’s gardens. When 
she looked out to the open spaces of the 



28 THE BLIND PEINCESS 


sea, there was nothing but a dark veil 
before her eves, and when she listened to 
the screams of the birds, curving over her 
head, she could only picture them in her 
fancy. Strange pictures she made, per¬ 
haps not at aU like the real birds, but to 
her they were very beautiful. Much in¬ 
deed her father had told her about the 
]3ink petals of a rose and the soft curve 
of a baby’s cheek and of the slim fishes 
that shot noiselessly through the brooks. 
Still it was only natural that, with it all, 
the Princess had her own ideas, and, grow¬ 
ing more and more to understand things 
by the sounds that they made, she grew 
to love them in her own way. 

‘^But oh!” she cried one day to her 
father, ‘4f I could only see the birds and 
the clouds but once and look just once on 
your face and at the great face of the sea, 
I could be happy.” 

And the King, hearing, gave a deep 
sigh, while a tear like shining dew came 
to his eye. ‘Hf it takes half my king- 


THE BLIND PRINCESS 29 


dom you shall have your wish,” he told 
her, while she clung to him tightly, her 
own tears lying thick in her long lashes. 

‘‘Alas, Your Majesty,” she said, “it is 
not possible.” 

“You shall see,” he told her. 

Now it happened that in a nearby is¬ 
land there was a group of students who 
were learning to cure the world of its ill¬ 
ness and trouble by the study of medicine 
and a knowledge^of the human body. To 
these the King sent word in a message 
written upon fine parchment and em¬ 
bossed in many colors. “To him,” ran 
the message, “who shall bring sight to the 
eyes of the Princess Gloriana, shall be 
given half my kingdom and the hand of 
the Princess herself in marriage.” 

So ran the message; and the people, 
hearing, hurried back and forth through 
the funny, crooked streets, spreading the 
news. 

“What think you of this?” said one to 
his neighbor. “The Princess Gloriana, she 


30 THE BLIND PRINCESS 


whose beauty is greater than the dawn, 
she whom kings have loved, is promised in 
marriage to any comer who can make her 
see.” 

^‘The Princess Gloriana?” 

^‘Aye.” 

^^Have you seen her?” (A crowd began 
to gather in the streets.) 

‘‘I have seen her once,” came the re¬ 
ply, ‘^and so lovely was she, with her white 
cloak flowing in the wind and her hair, 
like yellow flower-dust, falling beneath 
the band of sapphires, that I looked away 
and the tears came to my eyes at the 
thought that so lovely a creature should 
never behold herself in the deep waters of 
her father’s well.” 

‘^Beautiful she is, indeed,” croaked the 
old Master-teacher, who, finding that no 
one had come to school, had joined the 
throng outside, ^^but there is only one to 
win her that I know of in all the world, 

and he—alas-!” He shook his old bald 

head on which his dirty black cap sat like 


THE BLIND PRINCESS 31 


a withered bug, and uttered a deep sigh, 
by which he meant that he feared some 
awful tragedy, some gloomy end for the 
Princess Gloriana. 

‘‘Who—who is it?’^ they asked him. 
“Of whom dost thou speak?’’ 

“Not Stanley the Stalwart?” asked one. 

“Perhaps Rupert the Wise,” wondered 
another. 

“Why do you shake your old bald 
head?” 

“And scowl so. Master?” 

“Speak-!” “Speak!” 

“And that I will if you but give me 
leave. Many there are that will go to the 
fair towers of King Hesperon’s castle; 
but none there be who can work the mir¬ 
acle-excepting one—Stepan, son of Pan- 
dor, the Cobbler.” 

After he had spoken there was, for a 
moment, silence. Then a shout arose, full 
of laughter and jeerings. 

“Stepan?” cried one. 

“Not Stepan, the Awkward?’’ 


. 32 THE BLIND PRINCESS 


^^You mn’t mean Stepan?^’ 

‘^That ungainly fellow?’’ 

‘^You are mocking us, Master!” 

‘‘Ho, ho, ho! Imagine the Princess 
Gloriana married to that clodhopper!” 

“YTiy, he couldn’t make a proper bow 
at court. His doublet is worn thread¬ 
bare!” 

“His nose is so large that, when the sun 
shines, it casts a shadow over half his 
face!” 

‘ ‘ Master! —Master!^' 

But the old Master, clapping his hands 
about his ears, ran down the cobbled 
streets to his house, his black sleeves fly¬ 
ing to each side of him like the pointed 
wings of a bat. 

****** 

It was the last day of the contest. In 
the high throne room of King Hesperon 
all were agog with excitement. For weeks 
and weeks students and masters, kings 
and peasants, had been trying their cures. 
The poor Princess was very discouraged. 


THE BLIND PRINCESS 33 


The King sat in gloomy silence on his 
white rock throne, his head resting on his 
hand. Several times he had hoped that 
the cure might work. Once a fine-looking 
fellow with a velvet coat and lace ruffles 
and a perfumed handkerchief had shown 
great promise. Everyone had wanted 
him to win—everyone except perhaps the 
Princess herself, who had turned aside a 
little as he bent over her. It mav have 

ft/ 

been that the perfume had offended her, 
used as her nostrils were only to the scent 
of roses and jasmine! 

But today there was a larger throng 
than ever. Nobles from afar in gaily 
striped robes of blue and gold were there; 
young students in flame-colored brocades 
and silver buckles, masters in black robes 
and pointed shoes and common people in 
rough brown, all went whispering and 
laughing up and down the gray stone 
throne room. It sounded like a great 
council of bees. Many kings had come 
from strange countries, and fine ladies 


34 THE BLIND PRINCESS 


in silks and satins, among them two very 
young, very new queens who had never 
worn crowns before, and had made ter¬ 
rible mistakes in picking them out. One 
had bought a crown much too big for her 
which slipped down over her ears like a 
bandage, and the other had chosen one 
so much too tight that she kept pushing 
ifc off her head whenever she got excited, 
as she frequently did. They both were 
quite content with themselves however. 

^‘1 would that the nice young fellow 
in velvet had won the Princess,’’ said the 
First Queen. was so excited when he 
tried his cure that I felt cold even in my 
emiine coat.” You see, she had not had 
an ermine cloak very long and she want¬ 
ed to talk about it, which was quite nat¬ 
ural. A nearby student, hearing them, 
remarked that the fellow had known 
nothing of medicine or cures and so had 
failed. 

‘^That doesn’t matter in the least,” 
snapped the First Queen, getting very an- 


THE BLIND PRINCESS 35 


gry and shoving her crown off her ears for 
it was scratching them terribly. “He was 
very handsome and dressed in perfect 
taste.’’ 

^ ^ And his wonderful perfume, my dear, ’ ’ 
cried the Other Queen. “I could smell it 
—even from here! ’ ’ Suddenly she nudged 
the First Queen with her elbow. “Who is 
thatf^^ she asked in a loud whisper, draw¬ 
ing her skirts aside lest they touch the 
cheap, dark garments of the man who 
passed them. 

“That,” replied her companion, “is 
Stepan, the Cobbler. Watch him making 
his bow to the King. He looks as though 
he would break in two.” And she laughed 
so hard that her crown got altogether out 
of place and slipped around over one ear 
like a tam-o’-shanter. 

Silence fell for a moment as the King’s 
Prime Minister rose to announce the new¬ 
comer. 

“Sitepan, son of Pandor, the Cobbler 
of Seristo,” read the Prime Minister in 


36 THE BLIND PRINCESS 


a loud voice, while a little ripple of laugh¬ 
ter ran through the hall. But the King 
looked at the Cobbler so kindly that a 
gleam of hope sparked in the depths of 
Stepan’s gray eyes, and he made another 
how, not quite so clumsy as the first. 

‘‘I also have come. Your Majesty,” he 
said, while his form seemed to gain dig¬ 
nity from his speech, ‘^to cure your 
daughter’s malady.” 

You speak with great assurance,” said 
the King. 

‘‘And is it not right that he should 
speak so,” replied Stepan, “who has pow¬ 
er to do all that he claims'?” 

Once again a little rivulet of laughter 
rose and died along the great stone walls 
of the throne room. Long the King looked 
at him, and sighed. 

“We shall see,” he said. “In your turn, 
Stepan.” 

“But it is his turn,” interrupted the 
Prime M]inister rudely, ''because every¬ 
one else has tried and failed/^ 


THE BLIND PRINCESS 37 


So the Princess was summoned, and, 
when she stood at the doorway, a hush fell 
like night over the people; for her beauty 
had a great radiance. In the narrow cir¬ 
clet that bound her long, gold hair, a yel¬ 
low topaz shone like the morning star, 
and, as she moved, the gauze of her dress, 
soft as the peaceful, purple shadows over 
the hills, swept like a cloud about her 
ankles. But her eyes, blue as the lark¬ 
spur, looked forth, unseeing. A little 
wearily, a little sadly, perhaps, she leaned 
on the arm of the Prime Minister who had 
come forw^ard to help her to her throne. 

Now so intent was Stepan upon the 
thing that he was about to do, that he al¬ 
most forgot to make his third bow to the 
King, and started up the steps to the 
throne on which sat the Princess, giving 
only the jerkiest nod of the head toward 
the King’s throne. The remarks that flew 
from mouth to mouth were anything but 
complimentary! 

Then an odd thing happened, very 


38 THE BLIND PRINCESS 


strange at Court where it is the custom 
for no one to speak unless commanded to 
do so by the"'King. Stepan, when he had 
almost reached the white ivory throne on 
which sat the Princess awaiting him, 
turned abruptly to the King. And what 
he said was so surprising and absurd, and 
Stepan looked so awkward standing there 
in his patched, bro^vn clothes among all 
those ga}^ colors, that the Prime Minister 
gave a little grunt right ovit loud and the 
two queens forgot altogether to whisper 
to each other and stood looking at Stepan 
with their mouths wide open. 

^‘Your Majesty,” began Stepan in a 
quiet but very soft and mellow voice that 
brought a little smile to the lips of the 
Princess, ^‘Your Majesty, before I shall 
apply my remedy to your daughter’s eyes, 
I have one request to make—in case I am 
successful.” 

“Well!” exclaimed the queen with the 
big crown, that by this' time had fallen 
down over one eye, “the greedy fellow! 


THE BLIND PRINCESS 39 


As if the King-The rest of her re¬ 

mark was lost in the King’s reply. 

Speak, Stepan,” he said, ^‘for I have 
sworn to restore my daughter’s sight if it 
takes all that I have.” 

^^Sire,” responded Stepan, and his tone 
was so kindlv that the Princess leaned for- 

t' 

ward eagerly to catch all that he would 
sa}^ ^4t is not of myself or of added riches 
that I would speak, but of the Princess 
Gloriana.” 

It was very quiet in the throne room 
now. You could hear the great branches 
of the trees brushing against the window 
frettings, and the swish and gurgle of 
waves against the rocks. 

^Hf I restore the sight of the Princess,” 
continued Stepan, ‘^I would beg of Your 
Majesty that her hand be given to that 
man whom she herself shall choose.” 

As he finished, no one spoke in all that 
vast room. The King himself sat there 
.staring, and, as for the Prime Minister, 
he was so startled that he dropped the 


40 THE BLIND PRINCESS' 


parchment roll of names and it went 
bumping down the steps like a jackstraw. 
Then arose the sound of voices in all 
pitches and keys. Each person wanted to 
tell his particular friend just what he 
thought of such a piece of impudence. 
For, you see, this was an unheard of thing 
at Court, or any other place, at that time. 
Princesses, as well as' other girls, were 
supposed to be very contented with what¬ 
ever husbands their fathers should choose 
for them. How could it be othervdse when 
such care was taken in the choice of hus¬ 
bands ? 

You can easily see that Stepan’s request 
was nothing short of a thunderbolt to 
them. All sorts of remarks were to be 
heard. 

‘^The Princess pick out her own hus¬ 
band, indeed!” 

''Why, what could she know about the 
matter?” 

"Ridiculous!” 

"It isn’t being done!” 


THE BLIND PRINCESS 41 


In fact, it never had been done! Only 
the Princess, strange to say, unable to see 
the expressions of horror on so many 
faces, sat there smiling serenely and nod¬ 
ding her head in quite the most pleased 
and friendly manner in the world. To her 
it did not seem to be so very ridiculous a 
request and far—yes, really far from an¬ 
noying or troublesome. Indeed, I really 
believe that at that moment she thought 
herself fully capable. 

The King found his voice at last. 

‘^Stepan,’’ he said gravely, ‘‘you have 
0 ’er-reached yourself. But there is noth¬ 
ing for me to do but to grant your request. 
Perhaps it is your natural modesty that 
makes you ask this. 

“Nay, Sire,’’ replied Stepan quickly, 
“ ’tis my pride.” 

I do not need to teU you how it was that 
Stepan cured the Princess; how he worked 
over her until the long, weary afternoon 
drew to a close, and the sun hung like a 
huge, gold clock over the far hills. At 


42 THE BLIND PRINCESS 


last he approached her where she sat with 
her hands resting along the w’hite arms of 
the throne, and her eyes covered with a 
large, black bandage. 

‘^Princess Gloriana,’’ said Stepan, ^^are 
you ready to look out on the world with 
all that it holds of beauty and of ugli¬ 
ness 

^^He is a conceited fellow,’’ whispered 
the queen whose crown had grown so tight 
for her that she had a headache (though 
she wouldn’t for the world acknowledge it 
and go home). 

The Princess, merely turning her head 
upward, smiled trustingly. 

am ready,” she said softly and Ste¬ 
pan drew the big black bandage from her 
eyes. 

It was a moment never to be forgotten 
in all the history of the island. Long 
afterwards would the students and the 
masters and the two queens in the uncom¬ 
fortable crowns talk of this! For a mo- 
ment the Princess sat there puzzled, a 


THE BLIND PRINCESS 43 


little scowl deepening on her forehead. 
Gradually it disappeared and very slowly 
she rose from her throne, her dress float¬ 
ing about her like mist. And all the while 
a little smile was touching her lips and 
grovdng. It was a lovely thing to behold 
that smile—such a smile of joy and won¬ 
der as no one had ever seen before or 
since. Suddenly she put her hands before 
her eyes as though to brush aside the fog 
and gave a little sob like the call of a 
wild bird. 

^^Oh!’’ she cried, ^‘it is so wonderful 
and so strange and so funny! I can see! 
I can seeV^ 

A very happy time followed for the 
Princess. She ran to the King, her father, 
stroking his long silky beard, touching the 
ruby crown, and laughing. She threw 
kisses to the crowd, utterly forgetting that 
she was a Princess and should have some 
dignity, and she laughed at the two queens 
in their badly fitting crowns until they got 
verv red in the face and a little ashamed 


44 THE BLIND PRINCESS 


of themselves. It was strange, too, that 
many things that others had found beau¬ 
tiful, such as brilliant reds and oranges, 
she thought ugly because the glaring col¬ 
ors hurt her eyes, and many things that 
other people thought ugly, such as the 
over-grown walks in the gardens and the 
clovers that grew like weeds, she believed 
to be very beautiful. And much that was 
not usually noticed seemed very unusvial 
to the Princess, such as the shadows over 
the hiUs and the quick, brown thrushes 
slipping through the bushes. So you can 
see that, during her long blindness, she 
had come to have ideas of her owm on 
many things. 

‘Ht is now time,’’ said the Prime Min¬ 
ister sternly, thinking that she had played 
long enough, ^Hor you to choose your hus¬ 
band.” 

‘^Why!” exclaimed the Princess, ‘‘I 
had entirely forgotten.” 

No one believed that but, since they all 
loved the little Princess, they merely 


THE BLIND PEINCESS 45 


smiled and said nothing. You can imag¬ 
ine, however, how exciting it was as the 
Princess passed among them, talking to 
each in turn, and how everybody held his 
breath when she came near Stanley, the 
Stalwart or when she laughed at some 
brilliant saying of Rupert, the Wise. It 
took her a long time; and, in fact, the 
Prime Minister, who was used to having 
things done with some speed, grew very 
impatient. It looked almost as if she 
woidd have no husband at all. 

^Ht would serve her right if she didn’t,’’ 
remarked one of the new queens crossly. 

‘Wou speak sharply,” said Stepan who 
had come and stood near them, quite by 
accident. 

At this moment the Princess paused 
and stood very still with her head just a 
little to one side. It was in this way that 
she used to stand in the garden when she 
first learned to tell the cries of the differ¬ 
ent birds. Across the huge stone throne 
room her eyes met those of Stepan and 


46 


THE BLIND PRINCESS 


they gazed at each other in silence for a 
long time. Then the Princess, having, as 
I have said, no idea at all of beauty, and 
having during her childhood learned to 
judge by many signs of which we do not 
know, walked straight up to Stepan, the 
Cobbler, and put her hand in his. 

^Hle it is that I choose,’’ she said grave¬ 
ly, ‘Hor to me he is the most beautiful of 
them all.” 

Strange as it may seem, Stepan in his 
surprise and joy forgot altogether to be 
awkward and indeed the happiness in his 
eves made him almost handsome, and 
the robe of blue that the Prime Minister 
threw over his shoulders (in spite of the 
cross looks of the two queens) gave him 
quite an air of elegance. At least so 
thought the Princess, who had ideas of 
her own on the subject. 

Very happily lived the Princess with 
Stepan, the Cobbler, who ruled wisely, 
and so greatly was he beloved on the Uttle 
island, it is said, that long before he died 


THE BLIND PRINCESS 


47 


brown clothes and long noses had become 
very much the fashion and were thought 
beautiful by all. For who shall say what 
is beautiful and what is not? Perhaps if 
anything seems beautiful to us, that makes 
it so. So thought the Princess Gloriana, 
who made up her own mind about these 
things; and I daresay she was right. 


LATE FOR THE 
CORONATION 



‘‘Her heart full of joy, the little Princess came at 

LAST TO HER CORONATION’’ 




























Late for the Coronation 


The little Princess lay on her bed and 
sobbed. Tomorrow she was to be crowned 
Queen, and her manners were still far 
from perfect. In fact Pom-Pom, the 
Lord High Chamberlain, and Mizzi, the 
Master-teacher, and Bombo, the Chief 
Cook, had all gone so far as to say that 
she had none at all. And they had reason. 
She cried for buttered crackers and hot 
milk when Bombo served her with fine 
salads and roasted pigeons, she never 
learned her spelling lessons, and she treat¬ 
ed Rollo, the Errand Boy, as though he 
were a Prince. Once they had seen her 
giggling—yes, actually giggling with him, 
on the very day on which he had borrowed 
Pom-Pom’s white wig and his best hand¬ 
kerchief, on which were written all the 



52 


THE CORONATION 


State Secrets! Pom-Pom did not know 
what they were laughing at, but he had an 
idea that it was at him that they were 
laughing. At any rate the little Princess 
enjoyed herself so much that she had a 
very large appetite that night for dinner, 
which was not considered ladylike in the 
Royal Palace, and she ate three large 
bowls of crackers and milk instead of 
one. 

Today three things had happened to 
spoil her happiness. She had been for¬ 
bidden by Carla, the Head Nurse, to go 
into the gardens, she had had to listen to 
a long talk between Pom-Pom and a 
stranger about a new war; and, worst of 
all, Rollo, her only playmate, was to be 
sent away, far, far away Pom-Pom had 
said. He had told her in his everyday 
manner, quite in the same tone of voice 
that he used in talking about boundary 
lines and armies; and all the time he kept 
looking down at her over his rimmed 
glasses and his bumpy, red nose. It made 


THE COEONATION 


53 


the Princess very unhappy and angry, 
and she felt like crying. Of course she 
did not cry. Princesses do not cry, be¬ 
cause crying is even worse than laughing. 
But oh, how she hated Pom-Pom! He was 
fat and round, like a stuffed canary, in his 
yellow velvet coat and breeches. His stom¬ 
ach stuck out like a stuffed canary’s, his 
feet in the long, pointed shoes stuck out, 
and then his nose stuck out. 

^‘Your Highness,” he said, ‘Svill rest 
indoors today and retire early, so as to be 
ready for the Coronation tomorrow.” 

“But I don’t want-” began the 

Princess and stopped. Hadn’t she been 
told that it is the most unladylike thing in 
the world to argue? Pbm-Pom showed 
his surprise with a “Teh—Teh” noise in 
his tJiroat. Then he bowed very low, as 
though he were a servant. 

“For many, many years there have been 
customs among the Eoyal House. It is 
these that you will obey, when you are 
Queen—and not myself or anyone else.” 


54 


THE COEONATION 


He bowed again, and it was so hard 
for him to do it that the Princess felt 
like laughing again, because, all tumbled- 
over like that, he looked like a round, yel¬ 
low muffin. You and I would have 
laughed surely, but not the Princess. She 
bowed too, looking up slyly to see if he 
could straighten out, and when he had, 
she gave a great sigh of relief. ^Yhen the 
door had closed upon him, she sighed 
again. 

It was after that that she threw herself 
on the bed and wept bitterly. And it was 
while she was sobbing that a Big Idea 
came to her. She turned over on the bed, 
propped herself on her elbows, and blew 
her nose hard. This helped her a lot. The 
Big Idea grew bigger and bigger, and the 
funny thing about it was that Pom-Pom 
himself had put it into her head. Had he 
not said that it was a custom she was to 
obey and not himself or Mizzi, or Carla, 
the Nurse, or Bombo, the Chief Cook? 

Custom, custom,’^ repeated the little 


THE CORONATION 


55 


Princess to herself, ‘^k-u-s-t-u-m—cus¬ 
tom/’ She had got so into the habit of 
spelling every word for Carla and Mizzi 
that she did it without thinking. 

And what is a custom?” said the Prin¬ 
cess to herself. ‘‘Why, I suppose it’s a 
rule—r-o-o-1.” 

At that she fell to thinking very hard 
and this is what she thought: 

“It is much easier to disobey a rule 
than to disobey Pom-Pom or Bombo or 
Mizzi, because none of them made the 
rule.” It had been made, you see, many, 
many years ago. The Princess now sat 
up very straight and smiled right through 
her tears. 

But someone must have made it at 
sometime! 

“Whv,” said the little Princess to her- 
self, “the people that made it aren’t even 
alive!” 

It was perfectly plain to see that, if 
they weren’t alive, they couldn’t care a 
bit whether she stayed in her room. 


56 


THE CORONATION 


whether she ate crackers and milk, wheth¬ 
er she laughed with Rollo, or even whether 
she came to the Coronation at all! 

will go away,’^ whispered the little 
Princess to herself, where there aren't 
so many rules.” 

As soon as this Idea came to her, the 
Princess lost no time. She put her clothes 
and her jewels into a little sack which 
she hid carefully under a long, black cape. 
Then she tied an old shawl of Carla’s 
over her head and crept carefully, with¬ 
out making the slightest noise, down the 
back stairs of the castle. It was just twi¬ 
light and she hid behind the pantry door 
until it grew dark, and then she slipped 
out among the thick bushes. 

It was some time before she found Rol¬ 
lo, crying near the garden wall, his curly 
head buried in his arm. She came up 
to him on tiptoe. 

^^Rollo,” she whispered. ^^Eollo!^^ 

He turned, startled, but, when he saw 
who it was a smile spread slowly over 
his face. 


THE CORONATION 


57 


“I'm going with you, Rollo," said the 
Princess softly. “Come.” 

“But you cannot do that!” cried Rollo. 
^ ‘ Think of Pom-Pom, and Mizzi and Bom- 
bo. Would you disobey?” 

The Princess stood very straight. 

“I am a Queen,” she said. “I need 
never obey Pom-Pom or anyone. Only a 
rule. Pom-Pom said so himself—and that 
is easy to break. I shall merely make 
new rules.” 

“But where are you going?” gasped 
Rollo. 

“To see my country,” the little Princess 
told him. 

Hand in hand they sought the long pass¬ 
age beneath the castle, and though it was 
full of cobwebs and even bats, the little 
Princess did not complain, but, drawing 
the hood of her long cape over her head, 
went forward through the darkness and 
dust, until at last a little streak of light 
showed them that they were coming out 
into the world. 


58 


THE CORONATION 


So Rollo and the little Princess went 
forth to see her own country, and what 
befell them on the way I will soon tell 
you. 

Now there were some words that Carla, 
the Royal Nurse, and Pom-Pom had ex¬ 
plained to the Princess veiy fully, such 
as wars and boundary lines and Court and 
manners; but there were other words that 
they had not thought needful to a Prin¬ 
cess, so they had not even mentioned them 
to her. This caused her to make many 
mistakes as soon as she went outside 
the castle gardens and to learn much that 
Pom-Pom had never taught her. 

The first of these mistakes occurred 
very soon after Rollo and the Princess 
had left the castle. They had gone some 
distance along a narrow pathway and al¬ 
ready the castle looked like a lump of 
black towers at the top of the hill. It was 
very dark and they had to stumble 
over the uneven road as best they could. 
The Princess^ robe was torn and her face 


THE CORONATION 


59 


was scratched, but she scarcely noticed it, 
so happy was she to be able to laugh and 
talk all she wanted to^ with Rollo. 
Now a soft, rounded object like an orange 
cushion crept from behind the hills. 

^^The moon!’’ exclaimed Rollo. 

‘^The moon? Oh, Goodie!” said the 
Princess, who had always been put to bed 
fby Carla before the moon was up. She 
began to dance a little dance all her own 
down the road, when Rollo jerked her by 
the sleeve. 

^^Sh-sh-h-h!” he whispered. ‘‘They’ll 
be hunting for you all over soon. And 
anyhow tonight we’ll be hungry—and 
then what ’ll we do ? ” 

“Oh, what?” gasped the little Princess, 
forgetting her glee. 

Rollo was silent. They walked on so 
for a moment or two, while the orange 
moon grew and grew, from a flat cushion 
into a roimd balloon, and finally it rose 
right out of the woods and seemed to bal¬ 
ance itself foolishly on the pointed arm of 


60 


THE CORONATION 


a pine tree. Suddenly Rollo grasped the 
little Princess roughly by the arm. 

^ ^ There! ’ ’ he said. ^ ‘ Did you see that ? ’ ’ 

^^Whatr’ 

He pointed through the bushes to a very 
faint light that flickered through the 
leaves; and, going toward it, they soon 
came to a tiny house and garden. Rollo 
walked boldly up and knocked. After 
what seemed a very long wait, they heard 
footsteps and a pounding that sounded 
like a cane and then the key turned in the 
lock. 

The little Princess was sure she had 
never seen anything like the old man that 
stood in the doorway as it swung open. 
Had she not seen him with her own eyes, 
she would never have believed that there 
could be an^dhing so withered and knotted 
and bent as he was, or that there could be 
anjdhing as worn and loose and baggy as 
his clothes, quite unlike the yellow velvet 
breeches that Pom-Pom wore. But be¬ 
neath the soft, silky hair of the old man, a 


THE CORONATION 


61 


pair of blue eyes twinkled at the Princess 
and quite charmed her. He invited her to 
come in so pleasantly and stood aside hold¬ 
ing the candle to light the way in so 
friendly a fashion that the Princess felt 
more welcome than she ever had in her 
own castle. The room was certainly more 
comfortable than the castle. Instead of 
high windows and carved chairs, there 
were little cross-barred windows and 
Grandfathers’-chairs, some flowers, and a 
low stool before a blazing fire. 

‘‘SItep right in,” said the old man, ‘^step 
right in and warm yourselves. And per¬ 
haps,” he added, his little eyes sparkling 
merrily, ‘^perhaps you’ll have a cup of tea 
with Gamma Turkin and myself.” 

The little Princess laughed and clapped 
her hands. 

^‘We’d love it, wouldn’t we, Rollo'? 
Tea—and cookies?” 

‘^Cookies of course,” replied the old fel¬ 
low, and he shouted to someone in the 
other room, then turned and looked at the 


62 


THE CORONATION 


little Princess as though he thought her 
the loveliest creature in all the world. 

At the sound of the voices an old woman 
appeared at the door, as wrinkled and 
bent as himself, and dressed in a rough 
brown dress and the whitest, cleanest cap 
imaginable. 

What, tea at this timeshe exclaimed. 
Then, catching sight of the little Princess, 
‘‘Wherever did you come from, child? Sit 
right down and Gamma Turkin will bring 
you tea.’’ 

“And cookies,” the little Princess re¬ 
minded her. (You see Bombo had never 
been allowed to feed the little Princess 
more than one cooky a week, because 
cookies were much too conunon for a 
Princess.) 

It was a feast and the little Princess, 
munching greedily, asked as many ques¬ 
tions as she liked, and you can see from 
what she asked how many things Mizzi 
and Pom-Pom and Carla had forgotten to 
teach her. 


THE CORONATION 


63 


It was in the midst of the fifth cooky 
that the little Princess paused for breath 
and asked the first question. 

“What is that for*?’^ she said, trailing 
her finger around a large patch on the old 
man’s knee. Gamma Turkin gave an an¬ 
gry snort, but, seeing the sweet expression 
on the little Princess’ face, smiled in¬ 
stead. 

“That is a patch,” the old man ex¬ 
plained gently. “Have you never seen 
one?” 

The little Princess shook her head. 

“What is it /or?” she asked again. 

“Why!” said Gamma Turkin, “to cover 
a hole, of course!” 

“But-” began the little Princess, 

and just then RoUo kicked her. 

‘ ‘ Sh-h-h! ” he whispered. 

“Let her ask what questions she 
chooses,” said the old man much puzzled, 
but looking at the Princess affectionately. 

“Then—why not wear another coat?” 
said the Princess. 


64 


THE CORONATION 


‘‘Because I have no other/’ 

“Couldn’t you get one?” 

“Don’t you see?” Rollo interrupted. 

‘ ‘ Let her be! ” cried the old man. Then, 
turning to the little Princess, “I am too 
poor.” 

For sometime the little Princess stared 
at him in silence, while a strange fright¬ 
ened feeling grew about her heart. 

“What—is poor?” she asked finally. 

“Poor,” said the old man, “is always to 
live in hope. To have few things—but to 
prize them highly.” 

And the Princess, seeing tears in Gam¬ 
ma Turkin’s eyes, threw her arms about 
her. 

“I, too, have been poor!” she cried. 
“But, oh, so differently!” 

So saying she drew from her sack one 
of the crown jewels, a rare and lovely 
ruby, and slipped it in the pocket of Gam¬ 
ma Turkin’s worn dress. But Gamma 
Turkin did not see her, and it was only 
long afterwards that she found the ruby. 


THE COEONATION 


65 


But that I will have to tell you a little 
later. 

In the morning, rested by a good night’s 
sleep in a high feathered bed, the little 
Princess and Eollo set out again on' their 
journey. It was a hot, dusty road and 
the little Princess shared her cookies with 
all who passed, so that by noon none were 
left. But she had had a very happy time, 
talking to all whom she met, and learning 
all about their lives, which seemed very 
strange to the Princess. 

By nightfall they were both hot and 
dirty and hungry^ but this time there was 
no house in sight. On all sides a thick 
forest stood about them, with fearful 
shadows and rustling noises. It grew 
darker. A star glimmered to the north, 
but there was as yet no moon. The little 
Princess felt like crying, but Princesses 
do not cry. So she grasped Eollo even 
tighter by the hand and they trudged on. 

‘^You must rest soon/’ said Eollo fin¬ 
ally. 


66 


THE CORONATION 


The little Princess shook her head. But 
she nut her hand to her head and to hei’ 
foot. ^‘Though I feel something here/’ 
she said, ^‘and here.” 

Just at that moment they heard a low 
groan that seemed to come from the 
woods, so close that the little Princess 
jumped and her heart beat strangely. 
Sounds of music and soldiers marching 
and even guns the little Princess had 
heard before, but never a noise like that! 
She would have hung back, had not Rollo 
seized her b}^ the hand. Quickly parting 
the bushes, they came upon a little twist¬ 
ing path that after a few turns led 
them to a white tent from which the 
groans still issued. Rollo lifted the flap 
of the tent and peered in. Then he beck¬ 
oned to the Princess. There on a straw 
mattress in the corner lay a very thin 
yoimg man, who looked at them crossly 
at first; but, upon seeing the face of the 
little Princess, he smiled. 

‘‘Come in,” he said in a high voice. The 


THE CORONATION 


67 


Princess did so, very quietly, and it was 
only then that she noticed that the young 
man’s face was drawn about the lips and 
eyes in a way that she had never seen 
before. He held out his hand to her. 

‘^Perhaps you will stay for supper— 
though it isn’t much that I have to offer 
you. Only crackers and milk, which an 
old peasant woman brings me every 
morning. ’ ’ 

The Princess jumped up and down for 
joy. 

‘^Oh, I hoped that you would ask us to 
supper!” she cried. ^^And I think crack¬ 
ers and milk the best thing on earth. You 
see, Pom-Pom-” 

Here Rollo coughed to remind her that 
she must not give her secret away. 

‘‘Who are you?” the sick man ques¬ 
tioned her. “A fairy or just a gypsy?” 

“I ^vill tell you after supper,” replied 
the little Princess. “But isn’t it time 
that you were getting up?” 


68 


THE CORONATION 


The man gave her a strange look, which 
soon changed to one of puzzlement. 

do not get up—at least for some 
weeks,’’ he told her. ‘‘I am sick.” 

‘^And what is thatf^* asked the little 
Princess. You see now how very little 
Pom-Pom and Mizzi had taught her, for 
no sick person had ever been allowed to 
come into the Royal Rooms occupied by 
the Princess. 

‘‘Sick is to have pain. Something that 
is with you constantly, either in your body 
or in your mind—and makes you feel— 
w^hile it lasts—that you can never laugh 
again.” 

The little Princess’ hand went to her 
head and then to her feet—just as it had 
along the road w^hen her feet felt sore 
from tramping and her head had become 
dizzy from hunger. 

“That’s itl” exclaimed the man on the 
cot. “You must have had very funnv 
teachers.” 

“They taught me a great deal,” said the 


THE CORONATION 


69 


little Princess, ^^but it is all very 

strange-’’ She broke off suddenly. 

“When were you first sick?^’ 

“In the war,^’ he answered her gently, 
and this was a word the little Princess 
understood. 

‘ ^ And do wars always make men sick ? ’ ’ 

He nodded gravely. At that the little 
Princess fell to thinking, and she thought 
so long and so hard that Rollo had to poke 
her to tell her that supper was ready at 
last. 

That night the little Princess slept but 
little on the straw provided for her in the 
tent, for she had a great many things to 
think about. And in the morning, before 
the sick man was awake, she took another 
jewel from her sack—this time a sapphire 
that sparkled like morning sunlight over 
a lake—and she slipped it into a coffee 
cup. Then very quietly she and Rollo 
started out along the road. 

A long, long way they walked—how 
many days and nights passed the Princess 


70 


THE CORONATION 


could not remember; and everwhere they 
stopped people were kind to them and 
took them in, and every^vhere the little 
Princess learned new words, and every 
day her sack got lighter and lighter, until 
there was only one jewel left. 

At last one night Rollo found the little 
Princess so absorbed in thinking over all 
she had learned that she did not answer 
him when he spoke to her. He felt of 
her sack in which the one jewel remained, 
and he felt afraid for what would become 
of them. It was a very lonely road and 
once more the moon was slowly crawling 
over the end of it. At last the little Prin¬ 
cess turned to Rollo. 

‘AVhere shall we rest—and eatP’ she 
asked. 

‘‘Ah!’’ cried Rollo, “when vou were not 
hungry I was beginning to think that 
something was the matter. But, alas! 
where shall we eat and rest?” 

He looked about him sadly. Under a 

cloudy skv the road stretched before them 

« 


THE COEONATION 


71 


empty of travellers. It looked as though 
it led straight into the center of the moon. 
But in a few minutes the moon lifted it¬ 
self away from the road and lighted up 
the whole country with a soft, white light. 
Then Eollo gave a sudden leap of joy. 

^^Look there!” he commanded, pointing 
to a bridge that ran over a tiny stream. 

There near the steps of the bridge stood 
an old man, and nearby stood a youth and 
a young girl in whose yellow hair the 
moonbeams were caught and tangled. But 
as Eollo and the little Princess approach¬ 
ed, they could see that she had been weep¬ 
ing. 

The Princess held her breath for a mo¬ 
ment. Then she went straight up to the 
old man—he was the sort of old man that 
one would go straight up to—and she 
whispered in his ear. 

‘AVhy—is she crying?” 

He looked at her for a long time and 
she repeated her question. 

‘^What is the—matter?” 


72 


THE CORONATION 


The old man set down Ms cane and put 
Ills hand on the little Princess’ shoulder. 

it really true that you do not 
know?” 

Eollo opened his mouth to speak but 
wisely decided not to. 

‘‘I do not know—many things,” said 
the little Princess, remembering all her 
other visits. 

‘^She is crying,” explained the old man, 
^^because she loves the boy—and he is go¬ 
ing away.” 

The Princess looked very grave. She 
thought that she had asked almost enough 
questions, and that she had better stop. 
But finally she got up courage and said. 

^^What is love?” 

If the old man had looked surprised 
before, he looked as though someone had 
really puzzled him now. But, glancing at 
the little Princess, he could not doubt her 
honesty. 

‘‘It is difficult to explain,” he said, “but 
it is like having everything you want in 



THE CORONATION 


73 


the world—and then, sometimes, like hav¬ 
ing nothing at all.” 

^^Look!” said the little Princess. ^^She 
is smiling now—almost laughing. At 
least her eyes are laughing.” 

^‘Yes,” agreed the old man, ^Hhey are 
both smiling now.” 

^^And why is she happy now?” 

‘‘For everyone we love,” said the old 
man patiently, “we gain something—and 
we give up something.” 

“Is it wise, then?” asked the little 
Princess, “to love?” 

“Wliat do you think?” said the old 
man. 

And the Princess, looking at the two 
lovers, sighed and smiled. 

“I think it is wise,” she said, which is 
just what you would have expected of her. 
“I, too,” said the little Princess, “love.” 

The old man nodded, as though she had 
told him no news. 

“Whom do you love?” he asked her. 

“I love Gamma Turkin and the sick 


74 


THE CORONATION 


man of the tent. I love Rollo and the 
beautiful lady with the golden hair 

and-” the little Princess s\vung her 

arms about as though to include the world 
—‘^and everybody/’ she said. love 
even Pom-Pom and Mizzi and Carla— 
and Bombo—and ” 

^^Stop!” cried the old man. ‘‘You are 
going much too fast!” 

The little Princess looked at him, her 
mouth open. 

“Only a Queen,” continued the old man 
“should love so many people.” 

And for the last time in her life the 
little Princess said, ''WhyV^ 

“Because only she who loves all the 
people of her country can rule wisely.” 

For a moment the little Princess re¬ 
garded him in silence. 

“Ah, then,” she said finally. “I must 
go back.” 

“Where?” demanded the old man. 

“Home,” said the little Princess. “For 
1 have learned something.” 


THE CORONATION 


75 


^^And what is that?’^ 

^‘To obey a rule/’ she answered sadly. 

So it was that Rollo and the little Prin¬ 
cess of their own accord started on their 
homeward way. But before) they left the 
Princess took the last jewel from her sack. 
It was warm with the yellow flame of 
firelight and it was cool with the clear 
yellow of moonlight, and for an instant 
the little Princess gazed at it longingly, 
then she slipped it into the old man’s 
hand; and he, being as you have seen a 
very wise old man, asked no questions but 
only pointed out the road to them and 
wished them Godspeed. 

They had gone only a very short dis¬ 
tance however when Pom-Pom’s army, 
that had been hunting them high and low, 
discovered them, torn and bedraggled, 
and carried them back post-haste to the 
castle gates. 

There a great crowd awaited them. It 
seemed that all the people of the land, 
learning that the little Princess had been 


76 


THE COKONATION 


found, had gathered together to welcome 
her back. It was very surprising. 

Suddenly the little Princess was aware 
of Pom-Pom in his rimmed spectacles and 
his velvet suit. One thing was very plain 
to see and that was that he was exceeding¬ 
ly angry. Once more he bowed low, and 
once again the little Princess thought of 
Bombo^s yellow mufiilns and wondered 
whether he could straighten out again. He 
did straighten out, however, at which the 
little Princess gave a sigh of relief, while 
Bombo frowned and Carla and Mizzi 
shook their heads. Something very ter¬ 
rible was in store for the little Princess 
and they knew it. 

‘^Your Majesty,’’ said Pom-Pom puf- 
fily, ^4t has long been a custom and a rule 
in this Court that no Eoyal Princess shall 
be crowned Queen who is late to her own 
Coronation.” 

He paused to let his words sink in. 

‘‘The crown will go to the next in line.” 
He closed his mouth tightly and looked 


THE COEONATION 77 

I 

down at the Princess over his rimmed 
glasses and his bumpy, red nose. 

The little Princess could hardly re¬ 
strain her tears. It is a dreadful thing 
to find out that you cannot do a thing just 
when you have decided that you must do 
it. And the Princess had just decided 
that she wanted to be Queen. 

^‘But what am I to do?’’ she cried. 
^^^\Tiat will become of-” 

A great roar from the crowd swallowed 
up her question. It seemed to come from 
miles and miles around and to grow louder 
eveiy instant, until even Pom-Pom had 
to put his hands over his ears. A man 
who leaned on a cane came forward, and 
the Princess saw that it was the sick man 
of the tent. He looked-much stronger and 
bigger. When he raised his hand the 
crowd became silent. TJien he bowed very 
low to Pom-Pom. 

“The people,” he said, “will have no 
other Queen.” 

Pom-Pom grew red in the face. 


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78 


THE CORONATION 


^^They have nothing to say about it,” 
he snapped. 

The man bowed again. 

“Yes,” he agreed. “But they are say¬ 
ing it very loudly.” 

Pom-Pom’s face was now pimple. 

“She cannot reign in this castle!” he 
shouted angrily. 

“Be that as it may,” said the man of 
the tent, “she will reign in the hearts 
of her people.” 

At that moment, amid the cheers and 
laughter of the throng, an old lady, in a 
neat'brown dress and the most spotlessly 
white cap imaginable, came forward; and 
in her hand she held a crown. It was 
woven of mistletoe and thistle-dovni; and 
in the center, where the great rub}^ should 
have been, was instead a large red poppy; 
and where the yellow topazes shone in the 
}* 03 ^al crown this one had a cluster of 3 ^el- 
low wood-violets; and where the sapphire 
should have been set, there was a lark¬ 
spur. Very carefulfy Gamma Turkin 


THE CORONATION 


79 


and a beautiful lady, whose golden hair 
was still more lovely in the morning light, 
placed the crown on the head of the little 
Princess. And the sun came out and shone 
on all its petals, and the wind rustled 
down, scattering its perfumes among all. 
It was a very beautiful sight. 

Even Pom-Pom took off his rimmed 
spectacles and blew his nose long and hard 
on his best silk handkerchief on which 
w^'ere embroidered all the State Secrets of 
the Kingdom. This caused him to lose 
several pounds. The Princess could not 
help laughing; but she was at the same 
time so sorry for him that she decided, 
in spite of the protests of the crowd, to 
keep him at the castle as Lord-High Cen¬ 
sor of the Spelling Book, a post that he 
fulfilled with honor and dignity until he 
died. As for Rollo, he became her Chief 
Adviser and wore a white wig that pleased 
him mightily, although it was not in the 
least becoming. 

So, standing at her castle gates, her 


80 THE COEONATION 

ragged cape hanging loosely from her 
shoulders, her sack empty of jewels hut 
her heart full of joy, the little Princess 
came at last to her Coronation. 

The End. 


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